A Second Chance
by jokergirl2001
Summary: Yoshino Nara died after giving birth and her ending led to a quirky workaholic being given a second chance at life. This time, she was going to be happy. She just had to make sure to properly pull off the amnesia act. Slightly AU, Nara-centered. OC/SI.
1. Chapter 1

_some stories start at the beginning_

 _Some start at the ending_

 _And sometimes,_

 _One person's ending is the other's beginning_

 **Yoshino**

Some humans had a keen awareness when it came to death. Most people would call Yoshino a materialistic self-centered woman and maybe it was because she was so self-centered that she knew that she would most likely not see tomorrow.

She realized it the moment her water broke ten days before Shikamaru's due date which was supposed to be the 22th of September. The due date which she had been eagerly waiting for so she could wash her hand off of Shikaku Nara and finalize the divorce she was waiting on.

The bitter and jaded part of her resented that she would die before she could leave the suffocating walls of Konohagakure.

One might wonder if the woman wasn't overreacting about her water breaking early. After all, early labour wasn't exactly all that uncommon. But it wasn't her water breaking that made the woman so sure of her own pending demise. It was the way she had difficulty breathing as Kasuga Nara, Shikaku's damned asshole of a cousin, escorted her to the hospital.

Frankly, Yoshino thought all Nara were assholes. Of course, her _darlin_ g husband took the cake. Shikaku was the king of assholes and appropriately enough was the newly made head of the Nara clan her mother had married her off to despite knowing how much resentment she held towards all clans within Konoha. Her mother had been lucky enough to pass away before the farce of a marriage happened between her and Shikaku.

Almost one year of arguments, shared resentment and wondering why the hell Shikaku's father even had them engaged and the only thing Yoshino found she had in common with the Nara folk was their shared nihilistic point of view. They barely had that in common, considering Yoshino was more extreme in her nihilistic belief.

Her philosophy was simple: _life is meaningles_ s.

"S-shut up," she weakly hissed as the medic-nin around her encouraged her to push.

The baby she was giving birth to was one of the few things Yoshino did not hate. This wasn't to say she loved the boy either. Shikamaru Nara was simply an obligation to her. A duty she had been forced to accept the moment she married a Clan Head.

In a way, she mused, Shikamaru Nara would be a solid proof of how right she was in her beliefs. Shikamaru was going to have a meaningless existent: he would be raised as a clan heir, aim for a minimalistic life like the Nara tend to do and be locked into an arranged marriage where he would have a heir who will repeat the cycle.

He'd probably end up just like his father. It almost brought a smile to her face.

After all the spats they had, after all the biting remarks and name calling she would finally one up Shikaku because she knew that in a darkly humorous way that Shikamaru ending up being just like Shikaku was something the man didn't want at all and maybe that brought a bitter satisfaction in her. A year of mutual disdain led to a parting gift in the form of a son that would burden Shikaku more often than not, because anyone with half a brain would know that shinobi like Shikaku weren't father material.

"Nara-sama! It's a healthy baby boy...!"

If Yoshino was capable, she'd scowl at whoever yelled that. As it stood she couldn't even move her lips properly to inform the medic that she had lost her sight midway through all the shouts of _push pus_ h and almost there. At least Shikaku wasn't here to see her in this pathetic state. Oh, she also spared him the effort of signing divorce papers he'd undoubtedly call troublesome in that tone she hated.

"Wait, her heart rate..."

"She's..."

"...-san here..!"

Ah.

Her hearing was fading too.

Strange.

Despite all her nihilistic beliefs, she thought there was supposed to be a light.

 **Nagisa**

If one were to look up the definition of workaholic in a dictionary, it would state: _a person who compulsively works hard and long hours_.

Right next to said definition they'd find a picture of Nagisa Hawthorne, Asian-American biologist in her very late thirties. The picture would show said woman writing down her observations of whatever research her team was busy with.

One would wonder if there was more to Nagisa than her work and maybe once upon a time the answer may have been yes, but for almost two decades her family and what was left of her once large friend group were long used the fact that they would always be second place when it came to Nagisa's priorities.

So it was on the 10th of September, while driving to an important conference regarding geneticist branch of biologists that Nagisa's car was hit by a truck.

It would be a lie to say that her death was quick, but it wasn't exactly slow either. When the woman had regained conscious she was upside down with something metal piercing her lungs.

Each breath she took rewarded her with a searing flash of pain and she knew that this was it for her, yet it was out of reflex that she continued breathing anyway.

A part of her, namely born from her workaholic self, was sad she wouldn't make it to the conference.

The rest of her tried thinking of her family and friends before realizing she hadn't seen any of them in months and that it was all her fault. She had been the one to distance herself more lately and while it wasn't entirely because of work, the cause of the issue was her work ethics.

Always choosing work above else, was a legacy she accepted that she was going to leave behind. At her funeral they would probably talk about how in love with work she was.

She regretted it.

She wished that she could have left behind a better legacy.

She wished it hadn't taken her dying to realize that work...work wasn't everything.

A second chance.

Part of her almost laughed, because she knew that this was it. You only get one life, take it or leave it.

...she wasn't even surprised that there wasn't a light in the end.

 **Nonō**

Nonō stared at her patient as the latter was being questioned by a Yamanaka nurse.

In all truthfulness, Nonō didn't have to be there. She just found this the most convenient place to be to avoid the whisperings going on the hospital.

They were calling her the _Miracle Heale_ r because she had revived the dead Yoshino Nara. The brunette almost scoffed at the name. She wasn't some sort of miracle healer or second coming of Tsunade Senju. While her medical ninjutsu wasn't anything to scoff at, Nonō wasn't good enough to bring back the dead and that was what Yoshino Nara was. Dead.

Exactly after giving birth to Shikamaru Nara. After six minutes of trying to revive the woman, Nonō had thrown in the towel. A brain can only go six minutes without oxygen after all. It was midway through ordering her assistants to commence the procedure for dead patients that Yoshino Nara sat up with the ugliest gasp Nonō had ever heard.

Almost after seven minutes without oxygen to the brain which by all means should be impossible, but Nonō had reacted automatically and brought up her hand towards the woman's head to inspect her with chakra.

The medic had been caught off guard when Yoshino had grabbed her wrist and mumble something incoherent.

"I'm just using chakra to help you, Nara-san..."

The woman had a dazed look in her eyes before she seemed to comprehend what was being said and allowed Nonō to do her job. Before passing out.

Now here they were, in hospital room number twenty C. A confused Yoshino was being asked questions, to which all the answers were _I don't kno_ w and Nonō was wondering how exactly the woman was still alive because by simple logic if it obviously wasn't because of Nonō, it was because the woman herself had done something.

However unlikely that theory appeared.

"I think, Yoshino-san, you may have amnesia."

Nonō almost rolled her eyes. It was obvious already that Yoshino Nara had amnesia. It should have been obvious the moment the woman had given them a polite hello instead of the usual brisk nods and entitled attitude.

"...ah."

Nonō almost chuckled, noting how Yoshino had only given that reply for the nurse's benefit. She had also obviously been aware of her current state.

There was an awkward silence before Yoshino coughed.

"Thank you for all of this," she gave the nurse a clumsy bow before straightening up. "I think I'd like to talk to Nonō-sensei now."

Nonō wondered noted how the woman sounded hesitant when speaking, mentally jotting in down as one of the side effects of the sudden amnesia.

The Yamanaka glanced unsurely between them before stalking off in obvious relief.

"...she doesn't like me, does she?"

Despite herself, Nonō gave a small laugh at the woman who was nervously playing with the bed sheets. "Nara-san-"

"Please, just Yoshino."

"Yoshino-san," she skillfully ignored the woman's protests at the honorific. "I think once you start getting your memories back-"

"I won't."

"Excuse me?"

Nonō almost blinked as Yoshino looked her in the eyes for the first time. There wasn't a hint of lie or delusion in the woman's brown orbs.

"Nothing feels familiar. When Yamanaka-san asked me about my childhood, nothing happened. When she told me about living with the Nara, nothing happened. This isn't a temporary amnesia. I am not getting any memories back, because there aren't any to get back."

That wasn't what Nonō had been expecting honestly. Usually a patient experiencing amnesia would be doing anything to get their memories back and it wasn't as if Yoshino seemed afraid to get her memories back. She seemed to genuinely be sure of the fact that she wasn't going to be getting those memories back.

Nonō wasn't sure if it was because of the way Yoshino was looking at her or the fact that the woman had indeed gone seven minutes without oxygen which would in theory suggest that Yoshino truly was experiencing a total memory loss, but Nonō felt inclined to believe her.

"I didn't know Yoshino-san quite well. Not counting today, I have interacted with her a handful of times."

Nonō noted how Yoshino instantly started relaxing. It was odd speaking as if this Yoshino and the Yoshino before labour were two separate people, but maybe they really were since this Yoshino seemed sure about not getting any memories back.

"Each time I checked up on her, she was indifferent, bitter and most of the staff that dealt with her have quite some choice words when desribing her. None flattering in the least."

She paused, giving Yoshino time to contemplate the information before continuing.

"Nara-sama, her husband, only came with her once. While he asked questions about the baby, Yoshino-san was more concerned about how the pregnancy would affect her."

Yoshino frowned at this. "Didn't she want Shikamaru?"

"No, not at all."

Finally, Yoshino's expression gave away into shock. "But..."

Nonō waited for a moment, in case Yoshino wanted to say something. When it became clear that Yoshino didn't want to share her thoughts, the medic-nin continued.

"There's a lot of rumors about Nara-sama and Yoshino-san's marriage. The only real facts I can give you are that the marriage was arranged and they didn't seem fond of each other at all. I'm sorry, but that's all I really know about Yoshino Nara."

It was still odd separating the Yoshino before and after labour as two different people, but Nonō had always been quick to adapt to new situations. A perk one might say of the line of work she did for Danzo.

"I refuse."

Nonō blinked at the woman in front of her.

"At first, I was planning to start acting like her. But now I do not want to be anything like her at all."

Nonō plastered a smile on her face at the determined expression on the woman's face. "Technically, you two have been two separate people the moment you got amnesia." Her face then softened, feeling a bit bad about the next part. "However, the people around you won't be as accepting as I am being. Especially not those who already know or know of the Yoshino-san before today. It will take a while before they accept that you are a different person and maybe some won't ever accept it."

It was the truth, really. Even the Yamanaka nurse who should know to separate a patient's identity when they have amnesia had struggled to look past who Yoshino had been before she died and woke up with amnesia.

Remembering about the Yoshino dying part brought a small grimace to Nonō's face. It wasn't good for her work if people continued to pay attention to her.

"Wait, I just realized something."

"Yes?"

"I'm a mother now."

Ah right.

That was another huge complication in Yoshino's life. She would have to deal with having amnesia and being a mother.

Well, perhaps the mother part wouldn't apply because Nonō distantly recalled a rumor about Yoshino having not planned to stick around after giving birth.

"Can...can I see him...?"

Nonō almost didn't hear that hopeful whisper. Almost.

"Of course."

Who was she to deny a mother their right to see their child?

Later on, as she watched Yoshino carefully hold Shikamaru in her arms with the adoring look only a loving mother could have, Nonō _knew_ that Yoshino Nara was now a completely different person. 


	2. Chapter 2

When the offer to let the newborn Shikamaru Nara stay in her own hospital room while she was going through observations was put on the table, Nagisa immediately said yes.

Maybe it was because of a maternal instinct she didn't know she had or because the body she was in was drawn to the baby, but Nagisa found that Shikamaru was already a weakness for her. The most rational part of her reasoned that her attachment was likely due to the fact that Shikamaru was as helpless as she was. He was new to the world, she was too. The most obvious difference was that he was a baby and she was a grown woman.

She was apparently twenty-one according to that Yamanaka who questioned her earlier. The concept of being a mother at twenty-one had always been weird to her considering she was attending college as a Biology major at that time, but it wasn't like she could do anything about dying and becoming a mother. She could shamelessly admit that she had no qualms about it either, well at least when it came to the becoming a mother part.

"My baby son," Nagisa mumbled, disturbed at how her voice wasn't the raspy quality she was used to anymore. "Shika."

As if he could actually recognize being called, the sleeping baby twitched towards her. Thankfully he didn't wake up as she gently lowered him onto the crib. When he was safely tucked in, Nagisa took the chance to look him over again.

She found it fascinating that Shikamaru had no need for a clamp because of the baby's umbilical cord stump. There actually wasn't even a stump. It was one of the many things Nagisa wanted to ask about, but she refrained from doing so because she didn't have an explanation as to why she'd assume there would be an umbilical cord stump. She silently vowed that she'd delve more into medical ninjutsu and chakra in general when she had the chance. They were just few of the many things she wanted to learn more about.

This new world felt almost like visiting another country, except on a much larger scale and with a totally different set of rules. It hardly mattered to Nagisa's intellectual side because she'd approach it just as she approached most stuff in her life. By relentlessly researching and experimenting to her heart's content.

However, for now she had to focus on researching the most important thing right now: how to be a proper mother and raise a baby. Failure wouldn't result in a failed grade or restrictions but she felt like failing as a mother would hurt more than anything else. So with a determined mindset she fetched the book on parenting she had requested earlier and sat in the chair next to Shikamaru's crib.

The next hour and a half was spent reading about how important it was to build a bond between parent and child as soon as possible and how to go about it. The book wasn't exactly as extensive as guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and other medical organizations from her original world, but to the clueless mother it was godsend.

She had just reached the chapter on baby safety when Shikamaru started crying softly. It didn't surprise her much considering she had just read that newborns didn't sleep a lot in one sitting.

"Oh, he's awake?" She heard Nono ask just as she was carefully lifting the baby up to cradle in her arms.

Earlier, right before she was asked whether or not she wanted Shikamaru to stay with her, she had asked if it was possible to appoint Nono as the primary nurse in charge of her and her baby. Apparently the fact that the wife of the Nara Clan Head asking Nono to look after her and the Nara heir was an honor so it was quickly arranged without even waiting for Nono to say yes or no. Thankfully the woman had assured her it was okay and she would have said yes anyway.

It was relieving considering Nono was the only friendly face she had encounter so far. No, Shikamaru didn't count because the baby didn't even know what friendly meant nor was he aware enough to choose to be friendly.

"I forgot to ask," Nono raised her voice a little as Shikamaru's crying grew louder. "Did you want to breastfeed or use formula? Yoshino-san chose the formula option."

For a moment, Nagisa felt indecisive. Breastfeeding? Could she do that?

Did she want to? From a scientific point of view she knew the best option was indeed breastfeeding, but theory was different than practical.

Nono must have read the hesitation on her face, because she gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Given your condition, no one can blame you for being hesitant. You can try breastfeeding when you feel ready."

That was the thing though, Nagisa didn't feel ready. She didn't feel ready to be a mother either but she was sucking it up anyway and being positive about it. She had to do the same for breastfeeding as well or she'd end up putting it off forever just like she did when it came to going on vacation back then.

"I'll do it," she hurriedly said, halting Nono's movements. "I'll breastfeed."

Nono's eyebrows shot up despite the approving and pleased look she had on her face. "Are you sure you want to?"

It didn't have anything to do with wanting, Nagisa wanted to say. Instead she gave a determined nod.

"It isn't hard at all," Nono reassured her while taking Shikamaru from her to let her adjust herself properly.

While Nagisa wasn't exactly used to letting her breast bare in a public setting, she suckes it up and shrugged off her hospital garb from her left shoulder. She withheld the urge to cover up her left breast from Nono's view by reminding herself that both she and the woman have probably seen a vast amount of the human anatomy already due to their line of works.

So instead Nagisa took Shikamaru back from the medic-nin and allowed the woman to help her adjust her positioning.

A barely audible yelp escaped the scientist-turned-mother when Shikamaru immediately latched on to her nipple and started sucking. She felt a tingling sensation in her breast, absently noting it to be a milk ejection reflex as she stared in awe while Shikamaru's sucking rhythm changed into a slow, almost lazy, pace.

"Babies instinctively know when to feed," she heard the medic-nin gently explain in amusement. "How does it feel?"

"A little discomforting," Nagisa slowly answered, almost forgetting to answer in Japanese as she smiled. "But amazing."

* * *

.o0o.o0o.

* * *

Kasuga Nara, proud Jōnin of Konoha and cousin of Shikaku Nara was not amused. At all.

"Amnesia," he repeated in a derisive tone.

The medic-nin in front of him, a woman whose most defining feature was the circular glasses she wore that hid her emerald green eyes, gave him a calm look.

"She went almost seven minutes without oxygen, Kasuga-san. Quite frankly, amnesia is the most kindest compared to the other side effects that could have resulted."

Kasuga grimaced at the reprimanding tone the woman used. She didn't get it, he told himself. The medic-nin didn't know how much of a….a _bitch_ Yoshino Watanabe was. How spiteful, self-entittled and vindictive the woman was. Why old man even allowed the civilian to marry Shikaku was a mystery the rest of the clan had yet to solve, him included. Though he always did think the old man was senile.

"Taking into account Yoshino Nara's situation, we're keeping her in for observation until Nara-sama returns from his mission."

Kasuga bit his tongue, resisting the urge to correct the woman. Yoshino was not a Nara. Yoshino would _never_ be a Nara. To outsiders, maybe. But the clan would never consider Yoshino Watanabe as one of them.

"What about Shikamaru? Can I take him to the compound?"

He was sure his sister wouldn't mind looking after the baby at all. In fact, it was highly probable that the whole clan would prefer one of their own looking after the baby until Shikaku returned.

"I'm afraid only the parents can decide that. Since Nara-sama isn't here to make such a decision, it was left up to the mother." The medic-nin then smiled knowingly. "She asked for him to stay."

Kasuga quietly tch-ed, deducing that the medic-nin was fully aware of how he viewed Yoshino and for whatever reason the medic-nin was taking Yoshino's side.

"Take me to him then," he slouched a little, knowing there was no point in arguing with the medic-nin.

She nodded, polite smile still in place as she calmly led him through the halls, up the stairs and towards a room. He stopped in front of the door, admittedly taking by surprise as he stared through the open door. Yes, he was told that Yoshino told the staff to let Shikamaru remain in the hospital as well, but he was under the impression that the woman sent the baby off to the nursery section. Instead, it seemed like Yoshino askes for Shikamaru to stay with her.

Was this a powerplay?

Kasuga's eyes narrowed as Yoshino gently placed her forefinger in little Shikamaru's open hand, half expecting the baby to start crying. Amnesia, his ass. Watanabe clearly had an angle, but what was she playing at? Was she trying to procure more money before finalizing that divorce she had wanted for months already? Was that why she was pretending to be amnesiac?

The Nara wanted to scoff, because while he always had a low opinion on the woman, he had at least expected her to be smart enough to know she couldn't fool a Nara with an amnesiac act.

Watanabe cooing startled Kasuga out of his thoughts. His eyes widened slightly at seeing Watanabe smiling at smile that seemed genuine at little Shikamaru. He had never witnessed such an expression on the woman's face before. Since he had never seen her smile before, he couldn't say for sure if it truly was as genuine as it seemed. It wasn't the cold smile she'd give with a greeting nor the vindictive one she would have whenever she had successfully manage to annoy him.

Perhaps he'd have to retrace his earlier thoughts. The amnesia act would be very convincing if he didn't know the woman personally. He wouldn't pretend to go along with it, but he'd keep a sharp eye on the woman. The moment she slips up, he'd be there.

"Yoshino, you have a visitor."

Kasuga rolled his eyes. He was here to visit the little one, not the fake amnesiac. He still noted how Watanabe was giving him a curious look, no recognition in her eyes. Damn Watanabe was a better actor than he gave her credit for, but he wasn't falling for it at all.

"I'm here to see Shikamaru, not you."

He felt a little satisfaction at the wince Watanabe experienced due to his words. Good. He made it obvious he was not going to play along with the amnesiac act.

"Who are you?" Watanabe asked as he stepped into the room.

He ignored her and swept an eye around the room. Bed, crib, chair and was that really a book on parenting? Ha, Watanabe was really determined to the role she was playing it seemed.

"Kasuga Nara," the medic-nin answered.

Kasuga ignored the warning tone as he once again set his eyes upon Watanabe and little Shikamaru who was innocently squeezing Watanabe's finger.

"Oh. Are you maybe Shika-chan's uncle?"

Kasuga snorted, both at the nickname Watanabe had bestowed upon Shikamaru and because of the ridiculous guess at his relation to little Shikamaru.

"Shikaku doesn't have any siblings, but you already knew that," he applauded himself for keeping the anger out of his bored drawl.

Watanabe smiled at him. It wasn't genuine, but it wasn't vindictive nor cold. It was the type of politely strained smile one would give someone at a party or meeting. Professional smile, one could say.

"Thank you for informing me."

The medic-nin was now openly giving him a chiding look. "Kasuga-san, I will not tolerate your disrespect towards my patient if you continue. My patient has amnesia and you can take it up with Hanako Yamanaka when Nara-sama returns if you want."

Kasuga held the woman's gaze for a minute, not willing to bow down. He could almost hear Shikaku calling him troublesomely stubborn as the man always did.

A sheepish laugh broke the silent battle, effectively gaining his attention. Watanabe was holding out little Shikamaru towards him.

"Would you like to hold him?"

Without a word, Kasuga took the baby in his arms. Watanabe hovered for a moment, but once the fake amnesiac noticed he knew what he was doing, she stepped back.

Little Shikamaru was peering up at him with a bored, lazy look. The baby seemed completely disiniterested in him and even let out a yawn.

Kasuga huffed out a small laugh. "Just like your father, brat."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Watanabe smiling softly at the baby. It reminded him of the smile his sister used to wear whenever he or Shikaku would hold little Ensui.

He almost sighed in relief when Watanabe walked away towards the medic-nin. She was faking her amnesia, he reminded himself. It didn't matter if the soft smile was genuine or not, because Watanabe was always going to be Watanabe.

"Nono-san, I finished that book."

"Already? Well, I'm afraid there isn't really any other books or scrolls concerning parenting in this hospital. We only have reading material concerning medicine and such."

"Would it be possible for me to lend them?"

"I suppose it can be arranged….."

Kasuga watched quietly as little Shikamaru fell asleep, lulled by the conversation the women were having.

The way Watanabe held herself was different, he noted. It was strange seeing the usually guarded and cold woman being open and friendly. What Kasuga wondered was why the woman was pretending to be like this now instead of from the very beginning when it would have been easier for her to attempt to fool them.

* * *

.o0o.o0o.

* * *

"What can't chakra do?" Nagisa breathed out, awed at everything she had just learned about chakra from Nono.

Sure, she had seen how many things chakra accomplished when she watched the anime in her old world, but seeing it on a screen and seeing it in real life were two completely things. Briefly, she scratched out her theory on her current situation being a figment of her own imagination. She wasn't nearly creative enough to come up this. Besides, it was now her third day in this strange new world and she had already decided during her earlier shower that this really was her new reality.

She'd live it to the fullest, just like she already decided. Thankfully, Nono didn't ask her why she looked like she had obviously been crying after her shower.

Nono chuckled at her. "That is a question I'm afraid I don't have an answer for."

Nagisa smiled at the woman. "Thank you." She shook her head and stopped walking as Nono opened her mouth, needing to finish what she wanted to say. "You helped me a lot and you really didn't have any reason to be as kind to me as you've been. I would be totally lost without you, don't even try to deny it. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, for every question you patiently answered and for how you continue to look after me."

She gave a bow, deep enough to convey her gratitude and ignored the surprised gasps around them. It didn't matter if others saw it was improper for the wife of a clan head to bow to a medic-nin.

After a moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder accompanied by a resigned sigh.

"You didn't have to bow Yoshino."

Nagisa almost thought she imagined that quiet voice. However the fact that the medic-nin had finally addressed her without any honorifics made her smile widely as she straightened up.

"So about that book on anatomy?"

Nono smiled. "After you finish feeding Shikamaru-kun."

"Let's go then," Nagisa urged leading the way to her room. She saw Nono shoot their still staring audience a look before the medic-nin caught up with her.

Side by side, they walked towards the room while discussing how chakra affects a newborn baby.

* * *

.o0o.o0o.

* * *

Shikaku resisted the urge to yawn as he stood at attention along with his teammates. He had gotten back just a bit before dawn after a two-week long assignment that felt like a whole month. Though he had wanted the mission to end as quickly as possible while he was out on the field, he didn't look forward to heading home to be greeted by a glaring and pregnant wife.

If it wasn't so early, he'd ask Inoichi and Choza to go drinking with him. Though considering Inoichi also had a pregnant wife to go back home to and Choza had to go home to his own wife and son, the Nara Clan head was probably stuck going drinking alone.

All to avoid the headache Yoshino was bound to give him as long as he could. Fuck, he could already hear her insultingly calling him a pathetic drunkard when returned home. Though even if he did go home straight away, she'd probably greet him with the oh, you're back murderer that she tended to say to him whenever he returned from a mission. Or she might even mockingly ask him if he had fun chasing the bone whatever client threw at him.

Either way, it was going to be troublesome.

"Well, it's to be expected that things won't be fixed so quickly. It hasn't been long since the war ended, after all," Minato sighed before giving them a half-hearted smile. "We'll have to wait before the peace treaty for Iwa then."

Shikaku just hoped that when the time came the old Kage would accept the treaty and not act like the troublesome person he was by declaring war against Konoha. Undoubtedly, Konoha would win, but the losses would be noteworthy and would leave them vulnerable to a betrayal from their new ally, Sunagakure, or even for an attack by Kumogakure.

"Good work guys," Minato smiled again.

This time it was genuine enough to make Shikaku's lips twitch up into a lazy sort of smile.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," the Nara said in a teasing tone.

It was always amusing to see Minato's face redden in embarrassment at the tittle. At least Minato stopped insisting they call him by his first name after Inoichi pointed out how disrespectful it would seem to do so.

"Totally not going to get used to it," he heard Minato mutter as they started exiting the office.

Shikaku wouldn't mind at all if the man never got used to it.

"Oh wait, Shikaku," Minato called out just as the Nara reached the door.

Shikaku turned, curiously eyeing the smile Minato was giving him. It was a smile he hadn't reslly seen on the blond before. A combination of joyous, apologetic and worry.

* * *

.o0o.o0o.

 **Chapter end**

.o0o.o0o.

* * *

 **3,346 word(s)**

 **Author's note** : _haha, I finally updated~ so HAPPY NEW YEARS everyone. I wasn't planning to introduce Shikaku on this chapter, but hey it happened anyway._

 _Oh also quick explanation: Shikamaru's canon birthdate is 22th September, but for some reason I thought he was born earlier and had originally planned my story based on that. So when I wrote the first chapter I had to adjust it and scratch a few ideas out in order for it to fit. Even then though I needed more time in the fic, hence Shikamaru being born 10 days earlier, 12th September._

 _Fun fact: Kasuga Nara is actually a canon character, but I gave him an age lift to suit this story better. Since it's a fic featuring the Nara clan, I can't exactly not mention other Nara folks. If needed, I'll create a character sheet later._

 _Other fun fact: This chapter spanned through 13th-16th September in fic universe_

 _Last fun fact: did you guys know Ino was born literally a day after canon Shikamaru? (23rd September)_

 ** _Questions~!_**

 **1\. How do you think Shikaku will react to the news?**

 **2\. How do you think Nagisa will react to Shikaku?**


	3. The little deer sleeps

Shikaku was a man that didn't let emotions control his actions. How could he? Being the Jonin commander meant there was no room for mistakes, no room for sentimentality. So even when Minato gently explained that Yoshino had given birth to Shikamaru, despite the worry about the early birth, the Nara Clan Head didn't feel the overwhelming joy Choza promised he would. What almost broke the calm expression on his face was when Minato started talking about Yoshino.

Frankly, Shikaku wanted a drink to nurse the headache he was feeling and to help him make sense of the clusterfuck that was his life. Arranged marriage with a woman who hated him, constant arguing with said woman and now suddenly the woman apparently suffering from a case of amnesia. Unfortunately, the Nara knew he couldn't avoid this. He had to deal with it sooner or later. In this case sooner was better, though he did promise himself an expensive bottle of sake after dealing with this situation.

' _Amnesia_?' Shikaku kept wondering, even as he walked into the hospital.

He was skeptical, but another part of him was also reasoning that the medic-nin in charge of Yoshino wouldn't be claiming Yoshino had amnesia if they didn't believe it themselves. Still, he couldn't get rid of the skepticism. Upon entering the hospital, his eyes immediately zeroed in on Kasuga arguing with a woman.

He could just feel that whatever they were arguing about had to do with his lovely spouse and that it was no doubt something troublesome. With a resigned sigh, he wandered over to them as he once again wondered what his father was thinking. The geezer was probably laughing at his misery.

"Kasuga," he placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder, effectively halting the argument.

Kasuga shrugged off the hand and turned to face him, shunning the medic-nin who just seemed like she was done with his cousin either way. He'd have to remind Kasuga to stop pissing off medic-nin or regret it the next time he gets injured on a mission. Personal experience with Tsunade-hime taught Shikaku well after all.

"You're back cousin," Kasuga smiled with relief. "So have you already heard?"

Shikaku nodded slightly.

"And you're not buying into the amnesia thing either, right? Shikamaru reminds me of you, by the way. Little brat looks so done with everyone."

Honestly, Shikaku found himself relating to his son a lot. Probably more than he's ever related to anyone and he hasn't even met his son yet.

Before Shikaku could even attempt to answer the loaded question Kasuga shot him with, the medic-nin coughed.

"Hello Nara-sama, I'm Nono Yakushi. Your wife appointed me as her personal medic during her stay here and it's my duty to make you aware of the situation from a _professional_ perspective."

Nono bowed, missing the scowl Kasuga sent because of the jab. Shikaku could just feel his headache worsening.

"Good to meet you Yakushi-sensei."

"Shouldn't you be taking Shikaku to see Shikamaru and Watanabe?"

"I believe the situation is no longer your concern," Nono said as she straightened up. The polite smile she had was good enough to hide how she regarded Kasuga.

All medic-nin had that in common when it came to annoying patients apparently.

"It is up to Nara-sama. He can choose to peruse the files on Yoshino-san's current situation or directly go see his wife and child. Hanako Yamanaka, whom was in charge of evaluating Yoshino-san's mental state and memories, will be on lunch break in ten minutes as well."

Both Nono and Kasuga were now looking at him expectantly.

* * *

"In the forest, the quiet forest, the little deer sleeps tonight," Nagisa hummed her own version in the mighty jungle to her little baby.

Somehow she figured her version fit with little Shika's animal motif more, even if Nagisa thought that lions were fiercer.

* * *

"The thing is," Hanako paused, obviously feeling Nono's hard stare on her.

Shikaku didn't have time for any biased opinions or speculations. He just needed the hard facts and logic like usual.

"I started off simple. Her name, age, birthday, village information, family background, the standard procedure basically. Then I asked her personal stuff about her family."

Shikaku witheld the urge to wince at that one. Yoshino was a vindictive and cold woman, but anyone who knew the woman knew that when it came to Yoshino's relationship with her parents, the woman turned worse than a snowy blizzard and would try to cut you down with a verbally poisoned kunai. It was just not something you talked about with the woman, just like you didn't talk about Shikaku's father or mother. It was perhaps one of the few things he had in common with Yoshino.

"C'mon, tell us Hana-chan. Is she faking it?" Kasuga impatiently asked.

Hanako sighed. "I want to say yes, but no. She isn't faking it….or at least it doesn't seem like it. She didn't have any reaction beyond trying to keep her confusion as calm as possible. Hell, she didn't even know we were in Konoha. The only questions she passed were the logic based ones."

Shikaku felt the folder, detailing Yoshino's behavior these last days and how the woman had gone seven minutes without oxygen, get heavier in his hand.

"What's your professional advice to Nara-sama for this situation?" Nono asked after giving him and Kasuga time to digest the information.

"Come on, you guys can't be serious…this…it's…." Kasuga trailed off.

Troublesome, that's what it was.

Still, Shikaku looked at Hanako to wait for the advice. Standard procedure and all, besides he trusted Inoichi's little sister. Though he'll have to make sure to ask Hanako for a copy of her file on Yoshino so he could show Inoichi these. His friend's input would be helpful.

"Go see her and your son," Hanako quietly said, a hesitant tone to her voice.

"Hana-chan…."

Hanako sent Kasuga a stern look and shook her head. "Shikaku-nii knows her better than any of us do. If she's faking it, he'll know. If she's not, he has to figure out what he'll do next."

Shikaku didn't have the energy to react as Kasuga let out short frustrated noise.

"So what? Shikaku's supposed to play nice to that she-devil? He's supposed to act like everything she did didn't happen?"

Honestly, even Shikaku wasn't sure about that. Order him to kill a dozen ninja, sure no problem. Talk to his spouse, who was confirmed by professionals to most likely really be suffering from amnesia? The academy hadn't prepared him for that. Then again, the academy never really prepared you for much beyond surviving your shinobi career.

"This is…." Kasuga shook his head and then stormed off.

Shikaku didn't bother going after him. Kasuga had always been quite hot tempered after all, even though he tried to hide it by acting like most Nara. He'd talk to his cousin once he was calm.

"Shikaku-nii?" Hanako called, grabbing his attention. "Maybe think of getting her a therapist too. It's highly recommended for civilian patients going through ordeals."

Shikaku nodded slightly, if only to get Hanako to go as well. He needed to just breathe for a bit.

"Nara-sama? Are you ready to see Yoshino-san or would you like a moment?"

Then again, his experience in life taught him that there was hardly a moment where he could just breathe.

So he followed the medic-nin in silence until she broke it.

"You're not," Nono said.

It drew his attention.

"I'm not what?"

He wondered if this medic-nin was going to rip him a new one like she seemed ready to do to Kasuga when he walked in the hospital and intervened with their argument.

"You're not supposed to forget everything between you and Nara-san. You're not expected to forgive anything either."

That was probably what his other clan members and teammates would tell him, more or less. Maybe with more fancy words and with a lengthier explanation. Oh god, that was going to be troublesome.

"But," ah, he should have expected that from the medic-nin that was so adamant in proving Yoshino's amnesia to be true. "She forgot and she can't apologize. She doesn't remember anything. So yes, you're not expected to pretend everything is okay, but you can't expect her to know anything either. Yoshino already thinks you hate her."

Shikaku immediately picked on the fact that Nono referred to amnesiac Yoshino by her given name and pre-amnesia Yoshino by Nara. It was a piece of information he filed in his head for later.

"Hate, huh?" Shikaku repeated.

He didn't hate her. What he felt when it came to his spouse were very negative stuff, but it was never quite hate. Maybe once upon a time he could childishly classify his feelings towards her as hate, but his shinobi career taught him what it meant to hate.

Thankfully, Nono didn't get a chance to ask him or say anything else. They reached the door. It was a bit open but beyond it was his amnesiac spouse and his newborn child.

"She always leaves it a bit open, says it makes her feel better," Nono explained.

He was slightly grateful she didn't draw attention to his hesitance. He filed that piece of information as well, despite how it conflicted with information he already had on his spouse. Pre-amnesia, hated open doors and preferred absolute solitude from the world. Post-amnesia, apparently enjoyed open doors and didn't shut out the world.

"Near the village, the peaceful village," Yoshino sung loud enough that he could hear from standing in front of the door.

Yoshino was singing. That….that was new.

Nono opened the door fully.

"The little deer sleeps tonight…"

Shikaku watched as a tired looking Yoshino yawned. Her hair wasn't in the immaculate state she constantly kept it in and her expression was more open.

His skepticism lessened a fraction.

"Yoshino, you have a visitor." Nono informed.

"Is it Kasu…" Yoshino trailed off.

"I'll give you two a moment, call me if you need me."

Shikaku didn't even break eye contact with Yoshino when Nono gently pushed him into the room and closed the door.

Yoshino's eyes were staring at him and though he did detect a flicker of recognition that made his skepticism grow, there wasn't any of the other emotions Yoshino would look at him with. There wasn't any hate, there wasn't any disgust. Only curiosity with nervous fidgeting.

"…hi?" Yoshino broke their staring contest, stroking Shikamaru's back as the baby was draped over her shoulder a little.

"Hello," Shikaku automatically greeted back.

He was used to making others feel awkward, not feeling awkward himself. Then again it seemed like Yoshino was feeling awkward as well, so they were on even grounds. If Yoshino suddenly regained her memories, then they'd be on completely even grounds.

"You're….Shikaku. Shikaku Nara."

She didn't ask, but he nodded anyway. His confirmation only made her seem more nervous, but she still shot him a polite smile. It seemed like she didn't know how to proceed, but frankly Shikaku didn't know either. How was one supposed to talk to an amnesiac spouse that they were in a strained relationship with?

A part of him wondered if Yoshino even knew they had a strained relationship, but judging how Kasuga seemed familiar with her….yes, she probably was aware.

"Good to meet you," she settled on as she adjusted Shikamaru into a horizontal cradle.

With small steps, she walked towards him. Shikaku didn't move, curious to see how this would play out.

"This…" she hesitantly started, almost seeming scared.

Why was she scared? Pre-amnesia Yoshino felt a lot of things towards him, but fear wasn't one of them.

"This is Shikamaru." Yoshino gently offered up Shikamaru. "Shika-chan, this is your papa."

 _Oh_.

She was scared of letting him hold his own son? Shouldn't it be the other way around considering she didn't even want Shikamaru?

 _Amnesia_ , Shikaku had to remind himself as he gently took Shikamaru from Yoshino. Still, why was Yoshino scared?

He allowed Yoshino to adjust Shikamaru properly in his hold, even though he already knew how to properly hold a baby. He almost sighed in relief once Yoshino stepped back. A gentle Yoshino was something he wasn't used to at all.

Finally, he looked down. His eyes met his son's. Shikamaru looked curious for a moment, but then the little runt looked bored and disinterested in him. Shikaku recalled how Kasuga said that Shikamaru was always looking done with everything and it made the new father's lip tugged up into a wry type of smile.

Choza was wrong. He didn't feel an overwhelming sense of joy. He felt a kinship, a burning desire to protect his son.

"He's going to look like you when he grows up," Yoshino's comment drew his attention.

She was staring at Shikamaru with a gentle look. It was filled with the same amount of love that Choza's wife stared at Choji with, if not more.

Shikaku nodded in agreement, knowing that Shikamaru probably would look a lot like him just like he looked a lot like his own father and grandfather before him.

Yoshino looked up at him then, eyes filled with determination.

"They told me you're my husband. They told me we…that our marriage was loveless. They said I wanted a divorce."

Was she going to ask him to sign those papers?

"If you want me to sign-"

"No!" Yoshino immediately cut him off. "I want to raise Shikamaru. He's my son too. So…can…I live with you?"

Shikaku had never felt more flabbergasted in his life. Not only did Yoshino actually want to stick around for Shikamaru and acknowledge that the kid was their work, she was also asking to live with him. Which, technically, she already did. The point was however that Yoshino would have been willing to do anything to leave him and the village, but now she wanted to live with him for Shikamaru's sake?

"….you already live with me," Shikaku settled on saying.

It wasn't even touching the surface on what he wanted to say. He felt his skepticism lowering down at a fast pace.

Yoshino relaxed. "So you won't take Shika-chan away?"

"No," Shikaku replied immediately.

He didn't like how vulnerable Yoshino sounded when she asked that. The way she unknowingly implied that he'd be cruel enough to separate a child from their mother had him biting down a cold remark on how she previously didn't want Shikamaru and was ready to skip town.

He replayed Nono's words in his head.

This was frankly the most civil conversation he's had with her and he wasn't going to make it troublesome by starting an argument with an amnesiac woman while he was holding their child.

* * *

.o0o.o0o.

 **Chapter end**

.o0o.o0o.

* * *

 **Author's note:** _the meeting was a bit anti-climatic huh? Oops. I wanted to make it as realistic and in character as possible. Frankly, I don't know how to portray Shikaku at all half of the time. Still hope y'all enjoyed it. Note how our awkward babies refused to acknowledge the elephant in the room._

 **Questions:**

 **1\. How do you think Nagisa and Shikaku living together will be like?**

 **2\. How do you think Shikaku is feeling about their meeting?**

 **3\. Should I change this story's name? And if so, to what?**


	4. Empty bottle

Nagisa twirled a piece of her hair, wondering if hair dye existed in the world she was in right now. A simple blonde or red hair dye would maybe be a good way to separate herself from Yoshino Nara.

Walking besides her, Nono Yakushi was deep in thought. Nagisa was just happy that Nono didn't find her 'science rambles' boring or uninteresting like her old friends. The lack of interest was honestly one of the reasons why Nagisa had begun separating herself from her loved ones before she died. They had never quite shown enough interest in her passions, but somehow they always were eager to ask about her engagement or how lucky she was that James 'put up' with her ways. She was, probably.

"Sorry," Nagisa broke the contemplative silence. It was better to focus on the now and much easier. "It was just me rambling."

Nono shot her a bewildered look.

"Rambles are about inconsequential matters. This theory of yours is not inconsequential at all. It's plausible."

Nagisa glanced at Nono. The fake amnesiac took in how genuine Nono looked. The medic actually seemed so sincerely interested and invested that the sudden nervousness Nagisa was feeling just dissipated away. Her tensed posture relaxed and she offered Nono a grateful smile. Really, she felt forever indebted to this medic.

Though she could feel a bit of shame creeping up on her for basically talking about Charles Darwin's evolution theory and how chakra manipulation was probably an adaption that occurred through time so humans in this world could survive. But it wasn't like she could look at the woman and be like: oh you know, this is actually something I learned back in Middle School and is actually a groundbreaking discovery from where I'm from. Oh, didn't I tell you I'm actually not Yoshino?

Yeah.

Like that would go down well. It would probably be asking for a one way ticket to getting interrogated. Maybe even have Hanako Yamanaka messing around in her head for memories. Speaking of, would the Yamanaka be able to see her memories? She knew she had them. So did that mean that memories were attached to the soul? Nagisa added that question to a quickly-growing list of questions she wanted to find answers to in this world.

"Too bad we can't prove your theory since there isn't anyone alive without chakra."

Nagisa, who at this point knew that she couldn't suggest just cross-referencing chakra elemental data to see if the results could provide confirmation that natural selection was a thing in this world because she hadn't been told about elemental chakra yet, stayed silent.

"It's early."

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Nagisa looked at Nono. The medic-nin's attention was behind them. But there wasn't anyone there or anything. Though considering she now lived in a world where ninja actually existed…

"Was someone there?"

Nono looked back at her, face calm. It would have reassured Nagisa if it wasn't for the words that followed.

"Just my superior. He's likely here to have words with a co-worker of mine."

Danzo?

Nagisa carefully eased her face into a relaxed look. She didn't want to show how uneasy she was feeling. "Ah, okay. I can just go ahead and feed Shika-chan while you go talk to him."

Nagisa wanted to run to Shikamaru and hold the boy just to make sure he was okay. She didn't care how irrational her thoughts were. It was only the logical side of her pointing out that Shikamaru currently was not a point of interest to any shady people that made her not react on her irrational paranoia.

"No, it's fine," Nono quickly assured.

Nagisa wasn't sure if she imagined the woman holding back a grimace, but she didn't care to wonder about her new friend's motives right now. She didn't have time for paranoia since she just wanted to go see her little Shika.

It took all she had not to rush to her room and Nono shot her odd looks for the silence but didn't comment. A part of Nagisa felt silly though, here she was being a huge mother hen and worrying that something had happened to Shikamaru since the past half hour that she left him sleeping just because she thought Danzo of all people would be interested in him.

They had been in this hospital for days now, so why would anything happen now? Who even said it was Danzo that Nono was talking about? It could have been someone else. Besides, the person wasn't even walking near her room.

Nagisa tensed when someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Yoshino, are you okay?"

Yoshino?

Nono was calmly looking at her.

Oh right. She was Yoshino, but not really, but yes.

Nagisa exhaled, forcing herself to breath. "I just…feel paranoid for some reason." She couldn't help the sheepish laugh that escaped her, gosh she felt so silly for doubting Nono based on emotions.

She was a scientist for Tenjin's sake. Being a mother really wasn't good for her logical side.

"I'm probably just fed up with being cooped up in here."

Yes, that had to be it. She was never really a fan of hospitals at all. That's why she chose the scientist road instead.

Judging by the agreeing look on Nono's face, she thought the same too.

"Oh, and we passed your room two rooms ago."

Nagisa could practically feel her cheeks redden in embarrassment and the teasing smile Nono had didn't help at all.

This time she walked ahead quickly, reaching the room in less than a minute. She could swear she heard Nono muffling an amused laugh.

The weird tension was gone at least.

Nagisa chuckled once she was in her room. There Shikamaru was, asleep without a care in the world. No one had been in the room since she left. Still, the logical side of her pointed out that she was normal so she couldn't really tell if a ninja had been inside or not.

"Having second thoughts?"

Nagisa blinked at Nono, wondering what her, well she didn't know what they were but she liked to believe Nono was, friend was talking about.

"You don't have to go live with the Nara. You can stay at the orphanage with me for a bit."

The offer was now out in the open. Nagisa felt her insides squeeze with warmth and was just glad Nono didn't comment or pay attention to how her eyes were watering.

The orphanage was Nono's most precious place. Nono's home. In the past days whenever Nono talked about the orphanage filled with kids it was with joy and pride.

Her offering to let Nagisa stay wasn't just casual. It meant more than it seemed to mean.

Nagisa wanted to let words tumble out of her mouths, wanted to try to get Nono to understand how much this kindness meant to her after so long of being treated like a distant figure in everyone's lives. She was so used to being written off that it was almost hard to believe someone actually wanted her around.

"Thank you."

That was all she could manage before little Shika woke up and started crying.

"Time to sign you out of here then."

Nagisa only smiled as she scooped her darling up gently.

Nono didn't need an explanation. Both women already knew that logically speaking, going with Nono would have been the best option for everyone involved.

Everyone except Shikamaru and her mother who refused to part with him.

* * *

"You went out drinking."

He loved Inoichi's wife, he really did. Yūga was as elegant as her name suggested and one of the least troublesome woman he knew. But that didn't change the fact that Shikaku hated it when someone stated the obvious. He reeked of alcohol, his movements were a bit sluggish and he was squinting a bit. Of course he was drunk.

"I'll take care of him, darling."

Yūga simply sighed, bestowing Inoichi with a chaste kiss on the cheek before closing the door on them. Presumably she'd be finishing the umpteenth book on flower arrangements that Inoichi had given her before their last mission. Shikaku briefly wondered if she was tired of the similar gifts she received from her husband or not. Then he realized he frankly didn't care when his life was a weird mess at the moment.

"You didn't go home yesterday."

Shikaku snorted. Why did people feel the need to point out the obvious?

"What happened?"

Yoshino. That's what happened.

"I don't want to tell the story twice," Shikaku grunted.

Inoichi, the damn closet sadist, smiled. "To Choza's then?"

The blond then grabbed his arm and jumped on top of a nearby roof. Shikaku swallowed down the bile that rose up his throat. His head was pounding, but he still managed to right himself up properly. Slightly at least.

"Troublesome," he groaned as the smiling blond slung him on his shoulder and started leaping from roof to roof.

The ease of which the Yamanaka did this betrayed the fact that this happened often whenever Shikaku was drunk. Though Shikaku much preferred it when Choza did it, because the Akimichi wasn't sadistic and made the ride as gentle as he could.

A part of Shikaku just wanted to let the bile escape from his throat. Damn any unlucky surface or human it would land on. But even in his drunk state he knew that he had some dignity. Also puking on Inoichi would only make the blond insufferable.

They arrived at the Akimichi compound without any trouble and were waved in by a jolly Chōbee who even offered them some chips on the way in. They politely declined.

Shikaku felt his headache growing as they stood in front of Choza's door. Why? He could hear his godson's crying. He hoped Shikamaru wasn't this loud. Though he'd take Shikamaru's crying over arguing with a screeching Yoshino any day.

The door went open and the Nara-Yamanaka duo were greeted with the sheepish face of Minori Akimichi.

"Ah…" She beamed at them, taking them into a hug.

Shikaku only sighed, when it came to a chronic hugger like Minori it was best to just go along and get it over with.

"It's been awhile! How's Yūga-chan been?"

Shikaku stayed quiet as the woman exchange pleasantries with his teammate.

Then Minori turned to him. He once again confirmed that while the woman was very touchy, at least she didn't bother pointing out the obvious.

"And how's Yoshino?"

Her voice didn't even hold a grain of the warmth it did when she asked about Yūga. She obviously only asked out of obligation and no genuine care. Though, Shikaku really couldn't blame the woman.

After all Yoshino had made sure to thoroughly burn any bridges between her and his teammates' wives. To her, Minori was nothing more than an 'overweight, loud and brute' woman. Yoshino's opinion on Yūga, calling the woman a pretentious gossiper with a royalty complex, wasn't any much better.

Shikaku grimaced.

What else could he do?

Minori's face softened in sympathy and she led them inside towards the living room.

"I'll go make some tea."

Shikaku barely got out a thanks as he sagged against the couch. He had chosen to have this conversation with his closest friends at Choza's purely because of the more modern living room. He was more relaxed now, especially since Choji stopped crying.

It didn't take long for Choza to enter the living room with a joyous smile and the tray of tea his wife promised held in his hands. He placed it on the table and sank onto the sofa next to Inoichi.

"Another fight with Yoshino?"

They were both looking at him now, waiting on him to wave it off with the usual troublesome or damn the old man. He had only ever vented about his arrangement with Yoshino three times. The last time was after Yoshino had calmly pulled out some divorce papers and said she didn't care about what happened to Shikamaru.

Shikaku silently grabbed a cup of tea and sipped. No sugar, just how he liked it. He thought back to yesterday. To finding out Yoshino was diagnosed with amnesia and then meeting her. How Yoshino suddenly cared about what happened to Shikamaru.

He was half-convinced she really did have amnesia. Getting drunk right after seeing her and their son was probably counterproductive to wrapping his head around the amnesia thing. It just felt so outlandish. Yet he didn't think she was faking it. Her body language would have given her away, yet it didn't.

"I met Shikamaru yesterday."

That felt easier to say and it even made relax.

"Congratulations!" Choza immediately cheered. "Minori, bring out the sake!" He exclaimed and honestly that was another reason he chose the Akimichi residence to have this conversation at.

"Congratulations," Inoichi repeated with a smile. "It's a bit earlier than expected though, right?"

Shikaku nodded. "Kid was too lazy to wait, that's what Kasuga said at least."

His teammates chuckled.

"Why didn't you bring him?" Choza grinned. "Minori would have liked to see him."

"Maybe he was too busy getting drunk to celebrate his new martial status."

Shikaku couldn't help it. He laughed, a raspy sound filling up the living room. Inoichi would have been right on the mark, if it wasn't for the amnesia.

"He's with Yoshino."

There was a dumbfounded silence and Shikaku couldn't help another laugh. Because the expression on his friends' faces was exactly how he felt.

"She has amnesia."

The casual bomb drop startled his friends back to focus.

A snorting sound grabbed their attention. Minori was standing at the door with a skeptical look, a bottle of sake with three cups in her arms. "She's faking it," the woman confidently said. "It wouldn't surprise me. She doesn't care about your son at all."

"You heard all that?" Choza sheepishly asked as his wife unrepentantly set the bottle and cups on the table. She didn't waste anytime in pouring the liquid into the cups.

"Shikaku-chan, she is a messed up woman. It would not be out of character for her to do something like this as part of a scheme."

Shikaku quietly took an offered cup and gulped it down. "It really wouldn't be," he agreed as Minori poured him another cup. "But I highly doubt that she can trick several medic-nin into believing that she really has amnesia."

That was the gist of it. That was the only argument he couldn't tear down. The professional confirmations of trained individuals who were convinced that Yoshino had amnesia.

Minori pursed her lips. She couldn't argue with that either, but she seemed to still want to say something.

"This…" Choza delicately started, sake cup still full in his hand as he sloshed it around. "It's an unusual situation. Have you spoken with her?"

"Yes." Shikaku knew that wouldn't suffice so he added: "She was scared of me."

"Why?" Inoichi prompted.

Shikaku closed his eyes. At first he thought she was scared of him being around Shikamaru. That a subconscious part of her was disgusted by his career. If he put himself in her shoes, it sounded plausible that an amnesiac Yoshino that somehow cared about Shikamaru would not want him touching the baby.

But it was after a few drinks yesterday that he reached a conclusion that made more sense.

"She's scared I'll take Shikamaru away from her."

Minori snorted in disbelief. "Up until now, she didn't even want poor little Shikamaru. Remember how she even called the baby a parasite?"

The Akimichi still sounded angry about it. Frankly it had disgusted him as well when he had heard that casually coming from her mouth.

But…

"Amnesia, remember?"

It honestly seemed more plausible by the second. Especially when he compared Yoshino calling Shikamaru a parasite months ago to Yoshino calling Shikamaru Shika-chan yesterday. Such a drastic personality change was logical because of amnesia, but the skepticism in him refused to let go of pre-amnesia Yoshino.

"Do you believe it?" Inoichi asked.

Well, that was the big question wasn't it?

"Troublesome."

It wasn't an answer, but he ignored the frowns anyway.

* * *

It was too bad Yoshino didn't want to take her up on her offer to let the amnesiac stay at the orphanage.

Or rather, Nono amended as Yoshino alternated between gazing at their surroundings and cooing at the baby in her arms, that Yoshino couldn't come live with her because that meant giving up Shikamaru.

Maybe this was better too.

Nono thought back to earlier when she had noticed dark hair out of the corner of her eyes during her conversation with Yoshino.

It was better that Yoshino didn't come to stay with her after catching his interest. She just hoped it was passing curiosity.

"Is there any map of Konoha?"

Nono felt like laughing at that silly question. A map could easily get into the hands of outsiders.

"No."

Yoshino appeared disappointed, she couldn't blame her considering Yoshino's amnesia included directions.

"I wanted to see the library and the ramen stand…" Yoshino mumbled.

"Ramen stand?" Nono questioned.

The library, she could understand since Yoshino had been tearing through reading materials in the hospital. But a ramen stand?

Yoshino started muttering gibberish before going back to giving little Shikamaru attention. Not that the baby seemed to care either way.

* * *

Shikaku stared at the bottle in front of him. It was probably too early for his mission to get so shit faced he forgets his own name. Though that hadn't happened since the first time he went out drinking, when his old man took him out. According to the geezer all Nara men should be able to hold their liquor if they had a good head on their shoulder.

The Nara Clan head had a brilliant one on his, so he knew that that was just a trick he and his clansmen wanted to portray to outsiders.

"Rough day?"

Shikaku glanced to his right where his vision was met with a shock of white. He wasn't sure whether to grimace or not. As much as he respected the man who had just greeted him, he knew the man didn't seek him out in these hours unless it was important.

"Jiraiya-sama," he greeted with a nod, tipping back a cup. The liquid went smoothly down his throat and he placed the cup back with a sluggish sigh.

"I'll take that as a yes," the Sannin chuckled and took a seat next to him and waved the bartender for two more drinks.

Shikaku wryly smiled as the man unrepentantly eyed a passing waitress. "Something like that."

Jiraiya hummed.

"Did Minato talk to you about Iwa?"

The Jonnin Commander nodded.

"Think they'll go along with it without a hassle?"

"No."

Jiraiya sighed. "Neither do I. But Minato's hopeful as it gets, kid just wants things to dial down. Get the village back in a peaceful and secure state now that the war's ended."

"Iwa's always been prideful."

"Too much for their own good," Jiraiya muttered with a tired tone. "I'm leaving soon."

"Recon?"

Shikaku was met with a wry smile.

"Someone's gotta make sure the future peace treaty is secured. It won't even take a month."

* * *

Nagisa carefully avoided staring or looking at anyone as she walked inside the Nara compound. Kasuga, who had received her and her baby at the gate, was casually guiding her with greeted teeth under Nono's watchful gaze.

It comforted her a little. However she couldn't fight off her anxiousness at the gazes she was receiving. Some of the Nara were subtle about it, the others just blatantly followed her movements with their eyes.

Wasn't it just funny that she couldn't quite muster her normal courage under their gazes? It was probably because she didn't want to be met with their casual dismissal.

"Here."

They stopped in front of a simple house. Nagia couldn't quite hide her raised eyebrows. She was expecting maybe something more spacious. Not to say that this house was small by any means, it just wasn't where she'd expect the commander of the Jonnin to live.

"Make sure she doesn't mess anything up," Kasuga ordered her friend and walked away.

Nono simply fixed her glasses and produced a key out of nowhere. "Ready?"

"Not really," Nagisa admitted as the medic-nin opened the door.

"As can be expected. Just ease your way in, I'll hold Shikamaru while you explore. Go find your room upstairs."

Nagisa nodded quietly and handed her friend her most precious tie to the world she was in. It was better to leave Shikamaru with Nono anyway, that way she could have more mobility in her quest to get accustomed to this new place.

Taking off her shoes, she left them by the door as she walked up the stairs that greeted her directly when she entered the house.

On top of the stairs she paused. There were four doors. Two to her left and two to her right.

Now which was her room?

She tried the one closest to her on her left. The bad news was that it wasn't her room, but the good news was that it was Shikamaru's. The baby crib in the center of the room was simply pretty, but what caught her attention was the antlers attached to the crib. A Nara thing maybe?

Though aside from the crib and a closet there wasn't much to the room. The curtains were plain and the walls were bare. She'd have to fix that as soon as possible, no way was her son not getting the best in life. That included an awesome room.

The second door going down vertically to her left lead to a bathroom. It was a more modern one, since both the toilet and showerhead were there. She was kind of disappointed to not see a bathtub. She'd give about anything for a good soak right now, added with a relaxing lavender soap.

The door directly in front of the bathroom was one that made her pause at the entrance. There was an unmade futon in the middle of the room, but what really grabbed her attention was the low table that held a set of shogi.

It was obviously Shikaku's room.

She quietly closed the door. Last room that was left was Yoshino's then. This time she didn't pause at the entrance, forcing herself forward. She let the door close behind her and looked around the room. Her futon was made.

"Clean and clinical," she observed. It was sad that Yoshino's room didn't have a personality.

That none of the rooms in the house had a personality, actually. It only served to emphasize that Shikaku and Yoshino were not happy. At all. She forcefully didn't allow herself to continue on that line of thought and head over to Yoshino's closet. There was mostly kimono inside, the type that their fabric screamed expensive when touched. It made Nagisa wonder if Yoshino had used Shikaku's money to buy them.

Digging a bit deeper she found a box. Nagisa worried her bottom lip. Was it an invasion of privacy even though she was technically Yoshino at the moment?

At the prospect of understanding Yoshino a bit more she sat down and opened the lid. An envelope greeted her immediately. She opened it up, already having an idea on what lay inside.

She was proven right. These were divorce papers. Its contents included Yoshino Nara forfeiting her parental right of Shikamaru Nara and the Nara clan paying her a sum that only made Nagisa more pissed. How could Yoshino put a price on her own son? The only comfort Nagisa had was seeing that they weren't signed yet. They never would be. She'd fight tooth and nail for her little deer.

Putting away the crumbled papers, she sorted through the other stuff. It was just mostly jewelry so Nagisa eventually put the box back where she found it.

Mustering up some courage, she set forward to downstairs where her friend and son were. Downstairs simply consisted of a living room attached to a kitchen.

"Well?" Nono was calmly sitting on the sofa and looking expectantly at her.

"This house needs some work."

Nono looked proud and that was enough for her not to breakdown crying.


End file.
